Counting Your Blessings – A Challenge for All of You

On the blog over at SPP this week, Veronica wrote about how important it is to count your blessings, especially when times seem dark. And then she challenged not only our readers, but specifically called Sean and I out to take part as well. Challenge accepted. J

It was kind of funny because she came to me, looking for potential blog topics. I tossed a few her way, and this is the one she chose. So very timely! This week has been especially stressful for me for a number of reasons, and I’ve been feeling pretty down. You know that feeling, where you feel like nothing is going right and you’re not sure how things are ever going to go right again. (I know they always DO, but it doesn’t always feel that way). Yep, that’s been my week. We’re going to ignore the fact that it’s only Wednesday.

So here goes, a list of my blessings:

1. I have a home. It’s small, and I complain about my neighbors, but I’m pretty blessed to have a comfortable home that fits my needs.

2. I have an amazing family, especially these two. This is my brother Alex and his girlfriend, Michelle, and we’re all super close. I really don’t know what I’d do without them most days. They’ve been there for me through thick and   thin, and even as I write this, my brother is detailing my car. Why? Because he wants to. He’s pretty awesome like that.

3. I have a job. I might complain about it sometimes, but it’s definitely one of my bigger blessings, and probably should have been mentioned before #3. I’ve been here for 13 years, my entire adult life. We are more than just coworkers, and more than just friends. We are family, and like my real family, we’ve seen our shares of ups and downs through the year, but we always stick by each other. My bosses are incredible, and more like parents than bosses. What more could a person ask for? Oh yeah .. that’s right. I get to spend my day around beautiful flowers. Amazing, right?

4. I’m in fairly good health. I stumbled a little bit earlier this year when I had to have my gallbladder removed, and I’m still adjusting to that, but for the most part, I’m pretty healthy. If you don’t count the fact that I develop a sinus infection from hell every time I book an airline ticket. Seriously, body, get a grip. Vacations are a GOOD thing, really.

5. I have AMAZING friends. Like…you don’t even know. Be jealous. Everyone should have the awesome support that I do. I don’t know what I’d do without my girls in my life. No matter what’s going on, or how long its been since we’ve seen each other, when one of us has an issue, we’re all there, no questions asked. That’s pretty damn cool.

6. This guy, right here. Sean. They say that everyone comes into your life for a reason, and I firmly believe that. Such an odd and random chain of events brought us together, and I couldn’t be more grateful. Not only is he one of my closest friends, but he’s a killer photographer and I’m proud to be joining him and building SPP into something truly amazing. He also should have been listed somewhere before #6, but I guess I was saving the best for last. I’m really, really blessed to be on the path that we’re creating for ourselves. 🙂

So .. when all seems dark and you think that life just isn’t gonna get better, take a few minutes to remember all the ways you’re still blessed. Better yet .. right now, take a few minutes and think about all the ways you’ve been blessed. Leave your list in the comments, and then pass this along. Challenge your friends to count their blessings as well. The world just might be a little happier if we all took the time to do this.